Overview
In bipolar disorder, Valium and other anti-anxiety medications in the same family can quickly help halt certain manic symptoms, such as agitation. This can give mood stabilizers enough time to kick in. Valium also can be used to treat skeletal muscle spasms from conditions like inflammation or trauma, along with spasticity, a condition where your muscles contract involuntarily. Spasticity can be caused by conditions like cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, and even exercise and dehydration. In another use, Valium may be used as an add-on medication to help people who have seizure disorders. Finally, the drug may be prescribed to treat the symptoms of acute alcohol withdrawal, where it may help control tremors, agitation and even the DTs (known in scientific terms as delirium tremens).
Contraindications
According to the manufacturer, Valium should not be given to children under the age of six months. Also, there are other possible contraindications in patients with sleep apnea, serious difficulty breathing, severe liver disease, or myasthenia gravis (a condition that causes weakness in your muscles). Make sure you know whether you have open-angle glaucoma (where Valium use is okay as long as you are receiving appropriate treatment) or acute narrow-angle glaucoma (where Valium should not be used). You should contact your ophthalmologist if you are prescribed Valium.
Side Effects
The most common side effects of Valium include:
DrowsinessFatigueMuscle weaknessUnsteady gaitCognitive issues
In addition, if you’re taking Valium to help treat a seizure disorder, you shouldn’t stop taking it suddenly, because doing so may increase your risk for seizures.
Possible Drug Interactions
Because Valium slows the activity of your central nervous system, your doctor should be careful when prescribing other drugs that can affect your central nervous system. These include:
Phenothiazine antipsychotics (including Compazine and Thorazine) Antipsychotics (including Zyprexa, Haldol, and Risperdal) Anti-anxiety medications (such as Xanax) Sedatives and hypnotics (including Ambien and Lunesta) Anticonvulsants Narcotic painkillers (such as Percodan) Anesthetics Sedative antihistamines (such as Benadryl) Barbiturates Certain antidepressants
There also are several drugs that can potentially lead to increased Valium levels or even toxicity when taken with Valium. These include:
Tagamet (cimetidine), prescribed for ulcers and excess stomach acidPrilosec (omeprazole), another drug for excess stomach acidOral ketoconazole, which treats fungal infectionsLuvox (fluvoxamine), used for obsessive-compulsive disorder and depressionProzac (fluoxetine), used for depression and anxiety
Dependence and Withdrawal
Valium is a member of the benzodiazepine family. These drugs can lead to dependence even if you’re only taking the prescribed dose. Valium can also be abused. You run a higher risk of this if you misuse the medication or have an underlying substance use disorder. Symptoms of withdrawal from Valium can be mild to severe and include:
InsomniaHeadacheMuscle painSweatingRestlessnessIrritabilityAbdominal and muscle crampsTremorSeizures
A temporary return of anxiety symptoms that are worse than before treatment was started also can occur. Your doctor can help you by designing a plan to taper down your dose gradually when discontinuing Valium.
Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
Valium can potentially increase the risk of birth defects if you take it during pregnancy, and there is some risk that your baby will go through withdrawal if you take the medication during your third trimester. Talk to your doctor if you are pregnant or are planning to become pregnant. You also shouldn’t use Valium if you’re breastfeeding, since the drug will pass through to your baby in your breast milk.
